Government urged to make wasted journeys as "shameful as drink driving"

The current interest in labelling food products with their carbon footprint should be extended to plane and train tickets, according to a new report from the UK's main professional body for engineers.

Released yesterday by the Institute of Mechnical Engineers (IME), the report argues that while greater investment in public transport is also needed, a government push to change people's behaviour and challenge unsustainable transport choices would prove significantly more cost effective.

It calls on the government to launch a campaign for 'greener' transport choices designed to make having an excessive carbon footprint feel "as shameful as drink driving".

Cliff Perry, vice president of IME's railway division, said making it clear that many car journeys are "unacceptable" could have a major impact on people's travel choices. “Clear marking of tickets with accurate emissions figures is a simple way to raise awareness of environmental costs," he said, adding that similar measures that do the same for road journeys would also be welcome.

The report came a day after a damning study from the European Environment Agency (EEA) that a major overhaul of the continent's transport sector is required if it is to meet EU-wide targets to cut carbon emissions by 20 per cent by 2020.

The study, entitled Climate for a Transport Change, reveals that transport emissions are continuing to increase as passenger volumes rise and freight transport levels grow at a faster rate than the economy. It urges policy makers to set emission targets for the sector and begin to address transport demand.

"EU transport policy must act on this growth of emissions," said Professor Jacqueline McGlade, executive director of the EEA. "If transport, and particularly road transport, had followed the trends of other economic sectors, we could have shown international leadership by having reached our greenhouse gas emission targets under the Kyoto Protocol several years ago."